Does anyone have any field experience with this? I am certainly not at this level in the LR game, or on the bench to be doing this myself, but it has me curious. Talking to a veteran LR shooter today, he mentioned that he was doing it, and was getting a flatter trajectory as the marketting claims seam to indicate.
meplat pointing
- Thread starter carbonrod
- Start date
It is one of many techniques that serious long range shooters have, but most re-point their bullets after trimming.
The Meplats on most bullets are quite irregular, and in the case of some bullets (Such as the new Berger 6mm 105 faux-VLD) they are huge. In a 223, the meplat makes up a larger percentage of a bullet's frontal area than a .308, so irregularities can really handicap performance.
Trimming on its own actually reduces ballistic coefficients, but as a prepatory step to subsequent bullet pointing, it improves long range performance and consistency.
Bullet sorting by weight and ogive measurement are also practiced, and to be honest, i think this does more to improve long range accuracy on its own than simple meplat trimming.
The Meplats on most bullets are quite irregular, and in the case of some bullets (Such as the new Berger 6mm 105 faux-VLD) they are huge. In a 223, the meplat makes up a larger percentage of a bullet's frontal area than a .308, so irregularities can really handicap performance.
Trimming on its own actually reduces ballistic coefficients, but as a prepatory step to subsequent bullet pointing, it improves long range performance and consistency.
Bullet sorting by weight and ogive measurement are also practiced, and to be honest, i think this does more to improve long range accuracy on its own than simple meplat trimming.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
Trimming and pointing the tips CAN improve the BC of the bullet.
If you read the book by Bryan Litz - Applied Ballistics for Long Range shooting - he does show this increase.
Recent work on the new Berger Hybrid bullets is also showing dividends.
Although I sell the gear (book too), I haven't had the time to do the work but may consider it as a nice winter experiment.
So far, I have not found the orig bullets from Berger ( I have shot a number from various cals) or Lapua (6.5 mm only) to show any substantial signs of vertical as they come from the box.
Any benefits to trimming would then be small
As for trimming AND pointing, Bryan has shown an improvement in BC in his testing so there is tangible gain.
Is it worth the time and cost?
What I have heard is that some pointing systems can cause secondardy damage to the bullet which will affect the mechanical accuracy of the bullet. I have no personal info either way but worth throwing into the mix.
Jerry
If you read the book by Bryan Litz - Applied Ballistics for Long Range shooting - he does show this increase.
Recent work on the new Berger Hybrid bullets is also showing dividends.
Although I sell the gear (book too), I haven't had the time to do the work but may consider it as a nice winter experiment.
So far, I have not found the orig bullets from Berger ( I have shot a number from various cals) or Lapua (6.5 mm only) to show any substantial signs of vertical as they come from the box.
Any benefits to trimming would then be small
As for trimming AND pointing, Bryan has shown an improvement in BC in his testing so there is tangible gain.
Is it worth the time and cost?
What I have heard is that some pointing systems can cause secondardy damage to the bullet which will affect the mechanical accuracy of the bullet. I have no personal info either way but worth throwing into the mix.
Jerry
Most are pointing?
Are you using a Whidden BTW Ian?
Yeah, I wondered about that as well. If increasing BC is at the cost of the boat tail, I can't imagine this being a plus.
I love both. Strat is hard to beat. My wife hates it though.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
My dist just dropped the Whidden pointers.
But I can offer Bench Source.
Jerry
But I can offer Bench Source.
Jerry
There is a pretty logical and easy process to set up your pointing dies so that they do not crush the tip, but to set the dies up properly, you actually crush and then dial back. Bullet pointing is pretty much done by everyone in the log range game now. I don't trim meplats though.
Whidden has a great system and you can order directly from them. Russ Hayden SS also has them and you can order from them as well.
Nothing sounds better that that gibson '57 or Alnico 490 humbucker, and I love the gibson scale, but a strat is definitely in a class by itself.
Whidden has a great system and you can order directly from them. Russ Hayden SS also has them and you can order from them as well.
Nothing sounds better that that gibson '57 or Alnico 490 humbucker, and I love the gibson scale, but a strat is definitely in a class by itself.
I have been trimming and pointing for about a year now.Unfortunately the
farthest I have been able to shoot is 500m.So I'm not sure I'm going to see a huge difference.
Pointing does close up the meplats quite nicely so I'm sure the +1 moa claimed
difference in come ups is true.I do believe that trimming makes the bullets more consistant
from shot to shot but probably does reduce the BC a few points.
In the end,it does one thing the best.It makes me confident in my ammo and that I have done everything
possible to make it as accurate and consistant as possible.
farthest I have been able to shoot is 500m.So I'm not sure I'm going to see a huge difference.
Pointing does close up the meplats quite nicely so I'm sure the +1 moa claimed
difference in come ups is true.I do believe that trimming makes the bullets more consistant
from shot to shot but probably does reduce the BC a few points.
In the end,it does one thing the best.It makes me confident in my ammo and that I have done everything
possible to make it as accurate and consistant as possible.
i have shot the the 180 berger out to 1 mile, both pointed and unpointed. i can say that the pointed bullets definetly hit higher without a doubt. in and around 1-1 1/2 min. but where i shoot it is across a river valley (approx 500 yards above the valley floor) and there is no doubt vertical wind so i cannot say exactly how much it is worth. i am not trimming the meplats before i point. i haven't taken the time to do any side by side comparisons at my 1000 yard range on paper so all i can say for sure is it works (every one agrees on that!!)
X2 Bingo pointed some 155 gr new Sierras for friend and got same results 1.5 min + of elevation and tighter groups.
I shoot pointed mep plate trimmed 90gr bergers in 223 rem 3/4min + at 1000
and tighter groups. I use the Hoover bullet pointing system top quality stuff think Robertson Composites are importing them
I have been pointing my 190gn Matrix 7MM bullets. I use the whidden system and dial the micrometer ~ 15 thou after I touch the bullet. I aim to increase the OAL of the bullet by about 5 thou.
I fired 10 identical loads at 300M, 10 pointed, 10 not pointed. Mvel was 3050fps.
The mean centre of the pointed group was 0.8 inches higher than the unpointed.
I point all my bullets for matches, but I have not looked at meplat trimmer prior to pointing.
I fired 10 identical loads at 300M, 10 pointed, 10 not pointed. Mvel was 3050fps.
The mean centre of the pointed group was 0.8 inches higher than the unpointed.
I point all my bullets for matches, but I have not looked at meplat trimmer prior to pointing.
At what distance?
It is in the text 300M = 300 meters, or 385 yards
#### sorry I need to open my eyes!
I feel that it makes my groups rounder and more consistant when compared to unpointed and untrimmed but don't have much proof other than holes in targets.
It is in the text 300M = 300 meters, or 385 yards
Nope;
According to my math: 300m = 300 metres = 328 yards.......
Well, if you really want to get stingy. There is 1.09y in 1m so there is actually 327yds in 300m.
The Whidden system seems kind of expensive, not sure about the others. Although it seems to be working for John fairly well...
